Sierra Nevada Snowshoe and Kirkwood Skiing

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My friends and I went on this trip in Late February, 2006-

We rallied the troops for an overnight snowshoe trip to Crater Lake, an alpine lake at 9000 feet just east of Kirkwood Ski Resort. It snowed a few inches that night, and got down to 20 degrees F! (-5 C). It was a trip that was filled with my incessant bitching about the cold and how miserable backpacking in the snow is. Of course, after it was over- I loved it! We made a fire in the snow that burned 3 feet deep by morning, a fire that made the night pleasant and magical. The aspens and firs surrounding camp were magical. It was totally silent, a forecast for a light storm kept others away. The next morning we were greeted with snowmobiles-someone called mountain rescue seeing our cars parked overnight at the trailhead and they assumed we were stuck in the snow! After all, who would be stupid enough to camp in the snow at 9000 feet? Experienced mountain folk like us, thats who! When the sherrifs arrived it was funny, they expected to find a cold and shivering group of rookies- instead we offered him coffee and a seat next to the fire at our well established camp. We were prepared for 2 nights, but the calling of a day of skiing at kirkwood led us out of the wilderness.

Kirkwood was awesome, a light coat of powder from the previous night made everything crisp and fresh. Its funny how everyone at a ski resort is smiling! Kirkwood is an amazing resort, mostly intermediate and advanced runs, backcountry options and none of the superficial Tahoe crowds.

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Photos

Moonscape
This is the majestic splendor of the High Sierra's in Winter

On our way down
its much easier than going up!

Opie at Camp
this was the morning after, notice the few inches that snowed in Jeff and I's tent

Nightime
Starting a campfire in the snow is much easier than it seems- this fire made the night entirely pleasant actually, and burned a perfect circle deep into the snow

Silence
walking in the snow is truly magical

Giant Lodgepole Pine
the biggest tree I saw on the trip

Melting Snow for Water
it isn't really that fun to be honest